Uptake of Adriamycin in tumour and surrounding brain tissue in patients with malignant gliomas

Summary Eight patients with malignant gliomas verified on CT scan, received an intravenous injection of 50 mg of Adriamycin R, 24 hours prior to surgical removal of the tumour. Peroperatively, both tumour and surrounding tissue specimens were obtained for determination of the tissue concentrations of Adriamycin and its reduced metabolite Adriamycinol. It was found that Adriamycin could be detected in tumour tissue from all patients. The concentration varied between 0,9 and 4,6 nmol/g tissue. In contrast, Adriamycin could only be detected in surrounding brain tissue from one patient.In anin vitro study a human malignant glioma cell line (U-251 MG) was exposed to various concentrations of Adriamycin for 24 hours. It was found that an intracellular drug concentration above 30 nmol/g cells caused a concentration dependent inhibition of cell growth. Thus, it is likely that the poor effect of Adriamycin on patients with malignant gliomas is due to an ineffective drug accumulation in the tumour tissue.     

Counterfactual (‘if only’) thinking in women with chronic widespread pain

The study explored the counterfactual thinking that women with chronic and widespread pain showed in response to what they themselves considered to be particularly stressful situations. Counterfactual thinking in 125 women sick‐listed due to chronic and widespread pain was investigated in terms of structure, function and control focus. The women were asked, for each of three types of problems that they indicated in a questionnaire to affect them most strongly, to describe a typical occurrence of it and to complete a counterfactual sentence in connection with it of the type ‘If only . . .’. The majority of counterfactuals pertained to predominantly somatic problems (e.g. musculo‐skeletal problems, pain and fatigue) classified as being affective rather than preparative and self‐focused rather than external, whereas in counterfactuals relating to predominantly psychological/psychosocial problems a preparative function and an external focus were more prominent. The numbers of problems listed and the numbers of situations responded to counterfactually were positively correlated. The counterfactuals, although often related to somatic problems, generally concerned psychological or psychosocial matters such as finances and paid or unpaid work. A contextual approach to elucidating counterfactual thinking based on subjects' own experiences is seen as providing valuable insight into what bothers them most. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sleep and recovery in physicians on night call: a longitudinal field study

Background  

It is well known that physicians' night-call duty may cause impaired performance and adverse effects on subjective health, but there is limited knowledge about effects on sleep duration and recovery time. In recent years occupational stress and impaired well-being among anaesthesiologists have been frequently reported for in the scientific literature. Given their main focus on handling patients with life-threatening conditions, when on call, one might expect sleep and recovery to be negatively affected by work, especially in this specialist group. The aim of the present study was to examine whether a 16-hour night-call schedule allowed for sufficient recovery in anaesthesiologists compared with other physician specialists handling less life-threatening conditions, when on call.     

Mechanics of the anterior drawer and talar tilt tests: A cadaveric study of lateral ligament injuries of the ankle

We analyzed the changes in lateral ligament forces during anterior drawer and talar tilt testing and examined ankle joint motion during testing, following an isolated lesion of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) or a combined lesion of the ATFL and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL). 8 cadaver specimens were held in a specially designed testing apparatus in which the ankle position (dorsiflexion-plantarflexion and supination-pronation) could be varied in a controlled manner. Ligament forces were measured with buckle transducers, and joint motion was measured with an instrumented spatial linkage. An anterior drawer test was performed using an 80 N anterior translating force, and a talar tilt test was performed using a 5.7 Nm supination torque with intact ligaments, after sectioning of the ATFL, and again after sectioning of the CFL. The tests were repeated at 10° dorsiflexion, neutral, and 10° and 20° plantarflexion. In the intact ankle, the largest increases in ATFL force were observed during testing in plantarflexion, whereas the largest increases in CFL force were observed in dorsiflexion. Isolated ATFL injury caused only small laxity changes, but a pronounced increase in laxity was observed after a combined CFL and ATFL injury.     

Assessment of exposure to arsenic among smelter workers: A five-year follow-up

In a group of 43 smelter workers exposed to inorganic arsenic dust for 13-45 years, nerve conduction velocities (NCVs) were significantly lower in two peripheral nerves as compared with matching referents. With multivariate data analysis, a significant negative correlation was found between cumulative absorption of arsenic and NCV in four examined nerves and the sural amplitude. Clinical symptoms of neuropathy and other symptoms related to arsenic exposure were moderate, though the difference between the groups was significant. The mean total absorption of arsenic was calculated to be less than 5 g, and the maximal absorption about 20 g. These data indicate that the adverse effect of arsenic on the peripheral nerves is dependent on long-term exposure rather than on short-term fluctuations in exposure levels. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Monoclonal antibodies to intermediate filament proteins: Diagnostic specificity in orbital pathology

Intermediate filaments derived from different cell types are antigenically distinct. Monoclonal antibodies to human intermediate filament proteins can, therefore, be used as tissue-specific reagents capable of distinguishing cell type in poorly differentiated neoplasms. We report a case demonstrating the specificity of antiintermediate filament protein antibodies in establishing a difficult orbital diagnosis of esthesioneuroblastoma.     

Evaluation of Functional Capacity after Stroke as a Basis for Active Intervention

ABSTRACT This paper describes further testing of an Activity Index introduced by Hamrin & Wohlin, which was designed especially to evaluate the functional capacity of patients after stroke. The results of reliability tests and validation procedures are presented, in particular in comparison with the internationally well known Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. The standardised item alpha reliability coefficient for the Activity Index was 0.97 for the total score (n= 231) and the corresponding value for the Katz Index of ADL was 0.94. Using factor analysis with four factors, 88.3% of the variances of the 16 variables of the Activity Index could be explained, and the different variables were found to have a logical distribution between the factors. In a two-factor analysis of the Katz Index of ADL, 89.6% of the variance of the six variables could be explained, and the hierarchical structure of the test was recognised. Compared with the Katz Index of ADL, the Activity Index had a higher predictive capacity and it also better measured changes in the patient's functional ability between different test occasions.     

Epirubicin as a single agent therapy for the treatment of breast cancer — A pharmacokinetic and clinical study

Sixty women with breast cancer (mean age: 61 years; range 36-78 years) were treated with Epirubicin (4’epi-Dox-orubicin), 60 mg m^-2 , as single drug therapy. The drug was administered as 2 hours’ constant rate infusions. The pharmacokinetics of the drug during the first course of treatment was evaluated by measurements of the plasma concentration of Epirubicin at the end of the infusion period. There was a five-fold inter-individual variation of the dose-normalized maximum plasma concentration, which increased with increasing age of the patients. There was no correlation between this pharmacokinetic parameter and degree of obesity.     

Caries experience in Icelandic 12-year-old urban children between 1984 and 1991

Abstract – In order to evaluate trends in caries experience, a 20% random sample of 12-yr-old residents of Reykjavik, Iceland (252 children) was examined clinically and radiographically in 1991 under conditions consistent with those of the survey conducted in 1984. In addition to caries data, frequency of toothbrushing and use of fluoride dentifrice were recorded. The mean DFT and DPS were 3.0 and 4.1, respectively. The decrease in caries experience reached 60% with an annual fall in DPS of nearly 10%. During the 7-yr period between examinations the decline in DFT and DFS scores averaged 5.2 and 8, respectively, the annual reduction amounting to 0.7 DF teeth or 1.1 DF surfaces per child. The ratio of approximal/occlusal caries and the proportion of approximal caries were similar in both surveys. Fourteen percent of the children were free from manifest caries in 1991, but only 2% in 1984. Polarization between low and high prevalence individuals had intensified. Ninety-five percent of the children brushed their teeth regularly and 97% reported using a fluoride dentifrice.